Liquid and slurry material handling requires many types of equipment. In some instances, the best equipment utilizes rubber and other flexible hoses, including tubing, to control and move these materials. This includes pinch valves and peristaltic pumps. Each of these require a flexible hose to operate. These flexible hoses wear out, and longer life, more durable flexible hoses are required, especially in applications where the flexible hose is pinched and required to return to the fully-open hose after removal of the pinching force. Useful life of the hose is not only dependent on the resilient nature of the flexible hose but also on the magnitude of closure forces imposed on the hose. A fine line exists between effective closure force and undue or excessive force that physically crushes the hose. The inventors are unaware of a suitable hose that addresses these issues effectively.
Further, with recent advances in large scale cryogenic processes, the ability to move large quantities of cryogenic liquids and slurries is becoming increasingly critical. Flexible hoses have limited usability at cryogenic temperatures. As such, flexible hosing suitable for operations at cryogenic temperatures is also required, as the problems mentioned earlier are only exacerbated at cryogenic temperatures.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,390,141 and 6,742,545, to Fisher, et al., teaches collapse-resistant hose construction. A flexible hose is disclosed that includes multiple elastomeric layers with a helically wound reinforcement element, such as cord or wire. The present disclosure differs from this prior art disclosure in that the reinforcement element of the prior art disclosure is an unwound spring wrapped around the hose, not a spring wrapped without unwinding around the hose. Further, the prior art disclosure teaches against making the hose pinchable, as it adds the helically wound reinforcement element to prevent collapse. This prior art disclosure is pertinent and may benefit from the devices disclosed herein and is hereby incorporated for reference in its entirety for all that it teaches.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,567,917, to Millard, teach a hose with wire braid reinforcement. The wire braid includes a plurality of interwoven strands of wires, and each strand includes a plurality of wires. The hose is made by a method including the steps of preforming wires to produce a helical tension spring configuration, combining a plurality of such wires under a uniform tension and twisting such wires to form strands, and braiding a plurality of such strands under high tension. The present disclosure differs from this prior art disclosure in that the wire braid is an unwound spring wrapped around the hose, not a spring wrapped without unwinding around the hose. Further, the prior art disclosure teaches against making the hose pinchable, as it adds the helically wound reinforcement element to prevent collapse. This prior art disclosure is pertinent and may benefit from the devices disclosed herein and is hereby incorporated for reference in its entirety for all that it teaches.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,197,173, to Taubenheim, teaches a pinch valve. The flexible sleeve, or liner, is embedded with cords of rayon or similar material to strengthen the liner against high line pressures adjacent to the pinch valve. However, these are cut away to allow for pinching. The present disclosure differs from this prior art disclosure in that the prior art disclosure uses cord, not springs, for wrapping the liner. Further, the cord is removed to allow for pinching. This prior art disclosure is pertinent and may benefit from the devices disclosed herein and is hereby incorporated for reference in its entirety for all that it teaches.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,724,807, to Jackson, teaches a pinch valve sleeve. The sleeve has an inner wall of an elastomeric material and reinforcing outer walls of fabric, with circumferential reinforcing members built into the outer wall of fabric at the ed portions of the valve sleeve. The present disclosure differs from this prior art disclosure in that the prior art disclosure uses fabrics to provide structural reinforcement but still allow pinching, not springs. This prior art disclosure is pertinent and may benefit from the devices disclosed herein and is hereby incorporated for reference in its entirety for all that it teaches.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,887,306 and 4,110,061, to Gerritsen, teaches a peristaltic pump and hose. The hose includes layers of helically and longitudinally wound threads. The threads of radially successive layers are wound at opposite angles of pitch, the threads extending in the longitudinal direction of the hose on the radially inward side of a layer of wound reinforcing thread. The present disclosure differs from this prior art disclosure in that the prior art disclosure uses threads, not springs, for wrapping the hose. This prior art disclosure is pertinent and may benefit from the devices disclosed herein and is hereby incorporated for reference in its entirety for all that it teaches.